The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-02-17
The Farmers and the Senate.

A correspondent from Laurers, signing
himself rs" iu the Mews and Courier,
Bays:
The action of the Senate at the recent
session, ignoring the legislation request
ed by the Farmers Convention, is not at
all singular. These men have not yet
realized the fact that farmers are begin.
ming to do their own thinking. The
lawyers, to some extent, assisted, but are
not altogether responsible for the defeat
of the expressed wishes Of farmers, as
has been intimated by some.
We take the position, and challenge
contradiction, that the farmers them
selves are to blame. They are the sole
judges, as we'll as juries in the case, and
just SO long as the farmers of South
Carolina will insist aud persist in send
ing men to the Legislature who are
ignorant Of their own rights, tosay moth
ing of the multitudinous demands of the
whole country, they may expect to have
most Of their desires disappointed.
The conduct of the Senate at its last
session was rather remarkable in some
respects; the most important bills in
volving the farmers interests were de-.
feated by the influences and manipula-
tions of one or Two Cincinnati, who
having left their farms for the sake of a
good fat Office and perquisites, are of the
opinion that they alone are fit to "save
the Slate," and resist any interference
from outsiders, although they are farmers
and taxpayers. OF course their selfish
efforts were supplemented by the valuable
services of some of our lawyer friends,
whose expressed opinions are generally
inimical to those of ploughman. We
must, however, make exception of two
of the ablest and best representatives in
the Senate, and exonerate them from any
completely or desire to do other than
their conscientious duty to the whole
people. We refer particularly to Sena-
tors Buist, of Charleston, and Murray, OF
Anderson. Messrs. Noise and Edwards
also merit our thanks, and will receive
them. But let US return to our farmer
bosses in Columbia and see if away down
at the bottom of their actions we cannot
perceive a little jealousy and superin.
duced envy exhibiting itself in some,
whilst ignorance is wonderfully devel.
oped in others.
How a Senator, pretending to repre-.
sent the intelligence of his county, after
having gone before them in heated
campaign, listening 70 and responding to
the constant and repeated demands fol
retrenchment and. reform, as well as other
legislation suitable to their condition
and circumstances, can then 60 into the
Senate and negative every promise made,
We cannot conceive. They can never
confront their constituency again only
to advertise their brazen impudence and
expose an enlarged degree of ignorance
The fact is, some of our Senator farmers
think more about personal aggrandize.
ment than they do Of the public trusts
and promises madein "Buncombe speech
es." A local "Grange Epcampment,' .
| with not few perquisites, outweigbs any
Legislation looking towards the material
advancement Of farmers interests as 8
whole. How any Senator could assert
that the farmers did not want thing
when they had met in convention twice
and unanimously expressed their wishes
can only be accounted for by selfish in
auences or extreme ignorance, and ]
doubt not they will yet offer as an apollo
gy that they didn't 60 to do it.